“Sometimes the highest-paying opportunities are not the best opportunities,” Vera manager Matt Stansell told MMAjunkie.com today.

Vera suffered his third consecutive loss this past Saturday at UFC 125 in a bout with Brazilian slugger Thiago Silva. Although he came out markedly ahead in standup exchanges, Silva took the fight to the mat and dominated there.

In an unusual display of aggression brought by Vera’s in-fight trash-talking, Silva opened his clenched fists and slapped Vera repeatedly in the head while holding top position. One of those shots badly broke Vera’s nose.

Going into the fight, Vera acknowledged it would be his last chance to keep his job. But he also said he’d matured as a fighter and no longer was the cocky fighter that underestimated opponents and paid for it.

“My team got on me,” he said. “My coaches got on me. People smacked me around and told me to get it together. I think I got it together. I’m ready to show that.”

Vera’s prior fight had brought heartache as well as a headache. He took on red-hot Jon Jones at UFC on Versus 1 this past March and suffered a fractured orbital bone that prompted a TKO loss. The injury put him on the sidelines for much of the year.

Stansell said Vera already has interest from several promotions, though he declined to name them.

Meanwhile, McKee earned his UFC contract this past September after an 11-year career in MMA that saw him rise from regional standout to folk hero among hardcore fans of the sport. He had racked up 11 consecutive wins outside the UFC and took to Internet forums in a campaign for the big show. As is turns out, the industry-leading promotion was listening, and he inked a four-fight deal and a first booking against Jacob Volkmann at UFC 125.

In a long and sometimes-dull affair, the two grappled their way to a split decision with Volkmann ruled the winner on two judges’ cards.

It looks like its back to the minors for McKee at the moment.

“Time for me to get my hustle on now, homie,” McKee said in a text message. “No looking back. (I’m going to) destroy anything and everything in my way.”

A total of 26 fighters got their chance to shine on Saturday as part of UFC 190 at Rio de Janeiro’s HSBC Arena. Now that UFC 190 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

The man known for cranking submissions to the point of injury added eye-gouging to his repertoire. But is the controversy of Rousimar Palhares too essential to his bizarre, awful appeal for his employers to take any meaningful action against him?